Monthly Archives: September 2021

Gear

crkt tuna

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I used to really hate on CRKT. Just like I used to hate on Ruger. But over time when a company just keeps on making consistent improvements and good products, I’ll give them a nod of approval. Ruger has been hitting grand slam home runs on their guns for some years now… and so has CRKT. Now, they still make products I don’t care for. But I don’t instantly dismiss the entire brand anymore and in fact… seeing something new from CRKT will actually make me raise an eyebrow. And this “Tuna” actually raised both.

The Tuna is designed by Lucas Burnley, and it gets its name from the overall tuna-like shape. Unlike the Seiko Tuna series which gets the nickname from the can… The CRKT Tuna gets the name from the actual fish. I guess it kinda has that shape? Maybe? But not really. Still… It’s a nice shape.

It’s a sturdy design and feels very solid in the hand. Part of that is due to the Frame Lock design, which I like. The orange spacer and pivot ring give it a nice touch. The clip is a fairly unique design as well and is probably one of the best out there.


The clip affords a very deep pocket carry while staying nice and low profile. The above image shows the spacer giving you a little slot to attach a lanyard tail or something if you wish. Carrying it around other Knife Guys, more than a few asked about the knife I had on me… or challenged a Pocket Check just to see what it was.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the Tuna is peak CRKT… For $44.95, it’s probably their best choice for an EDC knife. Now I say that because I’ve been comparing it to a couple of other knives that cost a whole lot more. But before we get to those… Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. And that’s going to be the blade steel. The Tuna is made with 8Cr12MoV. Which is China’s version of AUS-8. Now, you guys know that AUS-8 isn’t my favorite flavor of stainless. I hold it in about the same regard as bottle Equate Ibuprophen instead of a bottle of Advil Liquid Gels. Not everyone can tell the difference when you take it… But I can feel the difference. I’m well familiar with the characteristics. Also, there’s the whole CHINA factor, which I’m just not going to get into.
Now, a good friend sent this knife to me… And he sharpened the hell out of it. This thing slices insanely well. In fact, I used it for Food Prep shortly after getting it, and it sliced and diced like a gem. And it held that edge very very well compared to other knives with the same steel. Part of that reason is the nice curve to the blade’s cutting edge. It’s very similar to a Spiderco Native, but with an advantage… So let’s compare that.

Using the knife for some time now, I’ve found that the overall design is so fantastic for EDC, that I started to compare it to the Spyderco Native. It’s just a little bit larger folded, but thanks to the Native’s ricasso/choil area, the Tuna has a lot more cutting edge for not much more actual blade length. This makes the Tuna feel like a much large knife when in actual use. And the frame lock is quicker and easier to use to close the blade when you’re done using it. Advantage – Tuna. The Native is truly a fantastic EDC knife, but they go for pretty much double or more the cost of the Tuna. And if you are looking at things objectively, there’s little reason to justify it over the Tuna save for the myriad of options for clip placement on the Native. So if you are a backwards Lefthander from Down Under and have specific opinions on tip direction and pocket location… well, then maybe the Tuna isn’t the best option for you. It’s Tip Up Only in Tunaville.

I also like the fact that the Tuna’s Clip pretty much evaporates when the knife is in hand. It’s not a bother like on some knives. And the whole handle shape fits well in the hand for hard use and for delicate tasks. It’s just a very GOOD design. Combined with the low price… The Tuna is a very astute knife choice. You should get one for your rotation.

Gear

Allett Original Nylon Edition

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Ever since I got my first Driver’s License, I’ve been using Leather Trifold Wallets. All my life. Save for that time in High School where it was the fad to use those nylon wallets with the velcro closure. I used one of those for like maybe a month or two. And then it was back to my classic leather trifolds. And a good quality one would last me a lot of years. And now that I’m older and I don’t carry lots of cash anymore, and I’ve pruned the number of cards that I feel like I need to carry around… Well, I just don’t need to carry around 1.5 inches thick worth of leather and plastic cards. I had been contemplating switching to something thin and light. So when I was offered the Allett Original, I thought “Sure, why not?”

At first, when I got the package and opened it up… I thought maybe perhaps this was a mistake. There’s no weight to it. No heft. No gravitas.

The material looks like the same kind of Ripstop material my last pair of issued BDU’s were made of. Super light, this thing weighs nothing. And it feels like there’s something in between the layers?It’s a bit “crinkly”. Light and crinkly. No, I wasn’t impressed. At first.

With four card slots and a main pocket for cash that’s sectioned… I was thinking “Wait a second, I thought this was supposed to be a wallet?” But I told myself that I was going to be objective. So I pulled out my old wallet, which was thick and heavy. Probably as thick as a dozen of these skinny little Alletts… so I took a deep breath, and I transferred things over.

All of the sudden was like “Hold Up”. By dividing the card loadout instead of stacking… Huh. Okay, I can see maybe Allett is actually on to something.

I had decided that I would give this Wallett a go and after some time, formulate my opinion. Maybe after a week. Well, let me cut to the chase. I didn’t need a week. I only needed a day. This thing is so skinny and light, that I don’t even feel it. Driving to work or throwing a leg over a motorcycle, I don’t have that old familiar wedge under my hip bone. I don’t have that heavy lump on my ass like a giant tumor. It’s just… Comfortable. That very top photo in this Post, that’s after a few days of use… And it’s well… It’s my wallet now. It just is.
As a BONUS… It’s said to be RFID Blocking. So that had to be put to the test. One of my cards has an RFID chip embedded into it. So I can just tap it to a reader and there’s a transaction for a Breakfast Burrito and a Monster Energy Drink. So this morning I pulled out my wallet and tapped the reader… and nothing happened. Tapped it again with the card in the wallet and the Cashier kinda looked at me funny. So, not wanting to waste any more of her time, I pulled the card out and tapped it, and Presto! The Burrito and Monster were now mine to consume. The wallet had blocked the RFID as advertised.

Back in my car with a mouth full of breakfast burrito, I snugged back into my seat, wallet where my wallet always goes… and I couldn’t even feel it there. I had to double-check that it was there. And thankfully it was. Of course it was. So, there you have it… The wallet performs perfectly as a wallet, it’s super comfortable, and it blocks RFID readers from reading the chip.

The best thing about it? It’s less than half the price of what I normally spend on a leather wallet. So in my mind, it’s functional and affordable. And if someone was to scan your card without you knowing? Stealing your info and accounts? I don’t know about you, but I certainly can’t afford that. You need one of these Allett Originals.

Gear

Get One: Fenix e12 V2.0

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The E12 V2.0 by Fenix is proof that you don’t have to be the Biggest and Brightest to be the most useful. In essence, Size Doesn’t Matter. Not really when it comes to Lights that is. Okay, so the E12 is a compact little LED light powered by a single AA battery, that has proven to be far more useful for common tasks than it has any right to be. Small and Simple, sure… But at the same time, damn near perfect.

The previous Fenix lights I’ve reviewed are much larger by comparison, and by order of magnitude, far brighter. They project enough light to make even a Lighthouse blush. And that’s fantastic for the purpose of signaling for edgy superheroes or for hunting German Bombers over London… But sometimes you just don’t need to fire off that many photons. Like if you are in your office and drop a contact lens, or you’re trying to follow a cable under your desk… Or the supply closet is just too dim to read which printer toner cartridge you need because they all look the same and you have to actually read the code in small print and it’s not your job to find a ladder to change the lightbulb overhead… But I digress. No, that’s not oddly specific… just a plausible example, you know? Don’t judge me.

As you can see, the E12 isn’t as long or as girthy as the others. But it’s about how you use it… and it gets more play than the others because it’s never “Too Much”. It’s sized just right. And while the others use Rechargeable batteries, the E12 is only using a single AA battery type which is as common and basic of a battery as a pumpkin spice latte is in the hands of a white girl in October. I’m not judging, I’m just saying they’re everywhere. *Gestures around* Just look. Every line at the Grocery Store has them hanging there waiting for you. Every 7-11 or Quick Trip has them for you at 3:00 AM if you need them. And they’re cheap. You can buy a pack of 4 for the same price as 1 of another popular tactical-type battery that I won’t mention. It’s probably the most universal battery type on the planet. I was once in a place that didn’t speak English as a norm and when I said “Double A Battery” they still knew what I wanted and I got them. Now, just for safety sake, if you have to go to LA, bring an extra set of batteries just in case… you know?

But you’ll probably not need an extra battery… because at the Low Setting, that little AA battery is going to last 70 hours. Using the battery that came in the package with the light, the longevity was as advertised. With an ADVANCED LITHIUM, well, I don’t know… it’s still going strong and I’ve been using the hell out of this E12 because it’s become just so very useful. It’s replaced my STREAMLIGHT Pen Light that uses two batteries. I liked the Streamlight for the same reasons, useful output without being too much, and a common battery type. But it’s too long, and it doesn’t have selectable brightness modes. This makes the E12 a clear winner if you’re looking for a flashlight that is just flat-out USEFUL. It’s small size is handy “EDC” purposes and it saves the batteries in my more serious use lights from mundane purposes that don’t involve blinding Antifa Zombies.


At HIGH, 160 Lumens is more than enough for going into the basement to find that can of paint you knew you put away. Medium’s 30 Lumens is actually perfect for most things. And if your wife is asleep and you don’t want to wake her up, the Low setting’s 5 Lumens will get you to the bathroom and back without stubbing the everliving crap out of your little toe, again.

The body of the little E12 is solid aluminum, with some ridges going around it to help prevent it from getting slippery. This is important because it is small in the hands and could be difficult to keep hold of without it. Small, lightweight, but doesn’t feel “Cheap” at all. Sturdy. Like Gimili from LOTR. And if you don’t know who that is, you are sad, and Google is your friend.

The Tailcap Switch is great… A quick tap to change between the three modes, and a firm Click to turn it on and off while staying in the last mode you used. This is about perfect, and is a feature missing from the other light I mentioned that this has replaced. In fact, I gave the other light away. I don’t need it anymore. I have the E12 now.

The Clip allows for “Tip Up” or “Tip Down” carry and it does carry very well… and I find it goes nicely in my pocket alongside a folding knife without competing for space. I also find that I’m carrying this light more than the others and after using it for a couple of weeks, I can find no fault with it.
If you are interested in this light, or the many others Fenix makes, take a minute to browse their Site. They have no less than a Dozen lights for EDC use, and they have lights all the way up to serious Search and Rescue use and everything in between. A truly impressive array of options. But get the E12… It’s too damn good not to have one of these. Just Get it:
FENIX E12 V2.0